Any pet photographers in?

Phil V said:
My hit rate was less than 10%., by the time I was using an AF film camera, my hit rate had more than doubled. By the time I got a 7d, my hit rate was well over 50%, and the R6 will get me close to 100% in focus shots.
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Just to clarify do you already have the R6 or is the hit rate what you expect to achieve?
 
Brentor said:
Just to clarify do you already have the R6 or is the hit rate what you expect to achieve?
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I had one on test drive, mine should arrive this week, but I’ve no idea how long before I get to see the WRC again :(

I do know I shot some rounders, and from backswing to first base every shot was in focus - that’d be a burst of the swing, and a handful running to first base.

Witchcraft I tell ya
 
Well I went to wex for a nose around. They let me play with the R6 and lens and the Sony A7IV and the A9 II. Some pros and cons discussed about both systems, with one siding with canon and the other Sony. Those 70-200 m lenses are heavy aren't they lol.

Eye tracking was really cool. We tracked the staff and some birds.

What was noticeable was the difference in the speed at which those cameras shoot at when in burst mode and tracking. A lot faster than my S5.

So, I need to have a think as it's not a small amount of cash to part with.

I've had some good success with the 6k photo mode on the S5 and G9 (I can pull raw files also it appears) so have that to play with further over the coming months whilst I think about things. Plus it's fun to just point and click in that mode as it's sounds like a mini machine gun going off lol

Wonder if Panasonic will follow on with better tracking / AF similar to canon / Sony.
 
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Chris_911 said:
400mm for pet photography?
You really won't need anything longer than 200mm.
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I shoot dogs quite often and regularly for paying customers. The 70-200mm is by far my most used lens although I like a 35mm prime and 135mm prime if the dogs are well trained and can be trusted to be where I want them to be so the limitations of framing with the primes isn't a big issue.

If I am shooting my own dog then I love to use a 400mm F2.8. not practical for a general shoot but when you have lots of images already it does have the ability to give you something special.
 

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Adamcski said:
Just been playing around with the S5 using AFS and AFC with human and animal auto detection on. Wasn't overly impressed with the images of my dog running back to me with her toy. Sometimes it didn't pick her up at all and a lot of the shots weren't in focus. Need to play around with it more I think, unless I have the wrong kit for my potential needs lol (wouldn't surprise me either).
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I use an S5 and do a bit of pet photography and some general wildlife/bird photography occasionally. The Panasonic DFD Autofocus is definitely not optimal for this kind of shooting but I've found I can still get good results in regular burst modes with a bit of practice and tweaking.

I too have my eye on one of the 70-200mm variants eventually but I find myself mostly doing shots that include a lot of the environment as opposed to straight portraits but I can get other looks too using the 20-60mm and my 85 1.8 prime. I've used my Sigma 150-600mm on occasion too and while I bought it for wildlife and bird photography, it has done a super job given the system's limitations of getting a good 80% of shots of fast running dogs in focus using CAF and animal tracking modes.

If you ever want to chat with someone using the same system give me a nudge! Happy to share some examples of shots I've got in your thread if you'd like me to?
 
magicaxeman said:
17mm lens. in both cases it was single shot AF and one single shot for each, I knew what I wanted and luckily got both first time.
It really is a case of "its not what you've got but how you use it"
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Or how lucky you where ? How can you say you got lucky with your shot and then say its knowing how to use it ?
 
Adamcski said:
Fully appreciate that Phil and again thanks for your words of wisdom.

I am perfectly happy with my S5 and G9, I think they are great. Most of my photos are stills and macro stuff, but learning how to use what I have for other types of photography (say action) can't hurt. They may not be the best cameras for xyz purpose, but as I'm not making anything from photography I am not overly worried.

That being said, I'm a bloke and do suffer from GAS, so if I make a purchase moving forwards (wouldn't be a sure thing and not until the photography show) I would take these additional consoderations into account :)

For example. The R6 shoots up to 20 FPS (as does my G9) and the R5. The new Sony A7R IV is 10 FPS (and less I believe in certain settings). What they do have (currently) that appears to be leagues ahead of the Lumix stuff is the AF and eye detection for animals and such. Perhaps Panasonic will catch up, who knows.
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Was wondering where you went with this?
Did the firmware update for the G9 help with the focus?

I find it quite satisfactory, and there are too many other features I like to change just for "better" focus under some circumstances :)
 
I haven't changed systems or anything yet as my mind has been occupied elsewhere due to my dad's recent health.

I haven't picked up a camera for a few weeks now if I'm honest as I've just not felt like doing so. I need to get out and get going again as I'm behind on my 52 now also.

Will see what the new year brings.
 
KIPAX said:
How can you say you got lucky with your shot and then say its knowing how to use it ?
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"The more you practice, the luckier you get." ;)
 
ONe tip I missed out but worth thinking about. Spend time beforehand with the animal so it gets to "Know" you and won't get excited with a stranger around. If possible in surroundings it is familiar with
 
The Canon 200mm EF 2.8L is a terrific small lens, works great on all EOS R bodies, plus I got a brilliant adapter that lets me use all canon EF lens on Nikon Z with full AF capability etc too
 
Phil V said:
To put some meat on these bones, I first shot motorsport with a manual focus camera the only way of getting an action shot was by using trap focus, the tricky bit about which was finding something to pre focus on at exactly the right distance. My hit rate was less than 10%., by the time I was using an AF film camera, my hit rate had more than doubled. By the time I got a 7d, my hit rate was well over 50%, and the R6 will get me close to 100% in focus shots.

All of those cameras are perfectly valid tools, but if you treat it as a results based business, why would you buy frustration rather than precision?

And of course the other option is, if you're going to be frustrated shooting action shots of animals, why not aim to get interesting static shots instead?
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Hi Phil

Would you say the 7D is a good option for wildlife and BIF if your on a tight budget and need to get a used older model camera?
 
Crotal Bell said:
Hi Phil

Would you say the 7D is a good option for wildlife and BIF if your on a tight budget and need to get a used older model camera?
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I loved the 7d, but I have to say many people really don’t.
They’re an absolute bargain IMHO, the low light IQ gets a bad press, but if you expose well it’s less of an issue.
Early 1d’s are probably the best bang for buck for birds in flight. But I’m no expert.
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
@Dale. Would be a good person to ask about the 7d for wildlife.....
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If you give the 7d good light and you’re prepared to think about your exposure, then it’s good at wildlife. It’s a tricky camera to get the best out of it though as it can be grainy, which is fine if you don’t mind grain/noise but I sold mine because of it.

That said, grain/noise can be effectively dealt with in post nowadays.

The 7d has some features well suited to wildlife, decent FPS etc.

I think there are cameras with better sensors out there though to be honest.
 
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